Thanks for taking your time to read our UK review information on the best wire stripper, that is currently available on the UK market. Every tool does a different job, and as the name would suggest, a wire stripper is always going to be a very useful tool to own, if you plan on doing any type of work with electrical cables.
Wire strippers come in different types and styles from the basic to the more advanced. The type of wire strippers you buy will very much depend on what type of cable work, and how much cable work you plan on doing.
A typical home owner or DIY person will not need anything as expensive as an electrician. The good news is there are plenty of choices available, so let's have a look at the various wire stripping options.
Different Types of Wire Stripper
These are available from different brands, and they come in different types as well, so let's run through those just below.
Automatic Wire Stripper Pliers
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These wire stripper pliers are the most popular option for both home and commercial use.
They can strip wire, strip cable and also be used as a terminal crimper.
Many brands make these, but the most popular are the Stanley Fatmax automatic wire stripper, shown on the left.
These are by quite a way the biggest seller online of this type of automatic wire stripper style.
The handles are also spring loaded.
Typically, this style of wire stripper will strip both inner and outer sheaths on wires and cables ranging in size from 0.2-6mm.
Most of this style of pliers will have a crimping capability, where you can use colour coded for crimps on insulated and non insulated terminals.
They all have strong handles that allow you to get a good grip and be able to apply the force needed for crimping and stripping.
They will have some type of adjustment button that allow you to quickly and easily make size adjustments.
Wire Stripper Pliers
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These are very basic and very affordable manual wire stripper pliers. It is worth noting that these are different as they don't automatically gauges the thickness of the wire being stripped.
These type of pliers are usually made of something like nickel and they will have insulated handles.
This type of plier has a 'V' notched in the end of the jaws. The gap in the jaws is then adjusted using a screw adjuster.
The Hilka brand shown to the left is a very popular choice for this type.
These are a good enough choice for tasks like stripping the same thickness of wire most of the time. They are used quite a bit in the Telecommunications industry, and also home owners will use these for stripping standard 2 and 3 core electrical cables.
Wire Stripper for Telephone Cables
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You can also buy wire stripping tools that will strip both round and flat cables.
These are good for the outer jacket of UTP and STP cable and CAT5 round telephone cable.
This type of wire stripper has an adjustable stripping blade for different insulation thickness, and the tool also prevents damage of shielding.
These are lightweight, compact, and are cost-effective strippers, that are simple to operate. These are usually used along with a punch down tool.
Wire Stripper for Coaxial & Antenna Cables
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You can also buy wire stripping tools that will strip both round and flat cables.
These are good for the outer jacket of UTP and STP cable and CAT5 round telephone cable.
This type of wire stripper has an adjustable stripping blade for different insulation thickness, and the tool also prevents damage of shielding.
These are lightweight, compact, and are cost-effective strippers, that are simple to operate. These are usually used along with a punch down tool.
Wire Stripper for Large Cables
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These are really the only choice for larger cables.
Wire strippers like this will effectively remove insulation on MTW, THHN and THWN-2 cable. The clover design features four different sizes from 250 MCM - 2/0 in one tool.
It can also quickly and easily remove 350-750 MCM cable insulation.
You simply insert the cable and twist to deliver a very clean cut.
These are primarily used by electricians who work for power companies.